Pete Docter facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pete Docter
Docter at the 2009 Venice Film Festival
Born	Peter Hans Docter (1968-10-09) October 9, 1968 (age 56) Bloomington, Minnesota, U.S.
Alma mater	California Institute of the Arts (BFA)
Occupation	Film director screenwriter producer animator voice actor
Years active	1985–present
Employer	Pixar Animation Studios (1990–present)
Spouse(s)	Amanda Docter
Children	2
Awards	Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Up (2009) Inside Out (2015) Soul (2020)
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Peter Hans Docter (born October 9, 1968) is an American filmmaker and animator. He is the chief creative officer (CCO) of Pixar Animation Studios, a famous animation company. He has directed popular animated movies like Monsters, Inc. (2001), Up (2009), Inside Out (2015), and Soul (2020).

Pete Docter has won three Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature for Up, Inside Out, and Soul. This is a record! He has also won many other awards, including six Annie Awards. He once said he was just "a geeky kid from Minnesota who likes to draw cartoons."

Early Life and Learning

Pete Docter was born on October 9, 1968, in Bloomington, Minnesota. His parents, Rita and David, both worked in education. His mom taught music, and his dad directed choirs. Pete and his two sisters learned to play musical instruments. His sisters became professional musicians, but Pete wasn't as interested in practicing music. He did learn to play the double bass and even played it for the soundtracks of his movies Monsters, Inc. and Up.

Growing up, Pete loved to draw cartoons. He taught himself how to make flip books and short animated movies using his family's camera. He felt that animation let him "play God" by creating characters that almost seemed alive. Famous cartoon creators like Chuck Jones and Walt Disney were big inspirations for him.

After studying for a year at the University of Minnesota, Pete went to the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). This is a well-known school for artists. He won an award for one of his student films called "Next Door." He graduated in 1990. Even though he thought about working for Walt Disney Animation Studios, he got a job offer from a smaller company called Pixar. He decided to follow his gut feeling and join Pixar, which was a new and unusual choice at the time.

Amazing Animation Career

Docter in 2009 promoting the film Up

Pete Docter joined Pixar in 1990 when he was 21 years old. He was the tenth employee in their animation group and only the third animator! He felt right at home with the small team. He said that growing up, he felt like he was the only one obsessed with animation, but at Pixar, he found others just like him.

At first, Pete had limited tasks, but soon he was given bigger roles. He helped write stories, animate characters, and even work on sound and music. He was one of the three main writers who came up with the idea for Toy Story. He even based the character of Buzz Lightyear a little bit on himself! He would make funny faces in a mirror to help him create the character.

Pete Docter has been a key part of many famous Pixar movies. These include Toy Story, Toy Story 2, A Bug's Life, and Monsters, Inc.. He helped write the stories and worked with other talented animators. He is also one of the five founding members of the "Pixar Braintrust," a group that helps develop ideas for movies.

Pete directed his first movie, Monsters, Inc., right after his first child was born. He said that becoming a parent gave him the idea for the movie's story. Later, he directed Up in 2009. He based the main character, Carl, partly on himself, because he sometimes felt a bit awkward around crowds and wanted to get away to think.

After the success of Up, Pete and other Pixar directors received a special award for their lifetime achievements at the Venice International Film Festival. Pete then directed Inside Out in 2015, which was also a huge hit. His most recent film, Soul, was released in 2020.

In 2018, Pete Docter became the chief creative officer of Pixar Animation Studios. This means he helps guide all the creative projects at Pixar. He also won the Winsor McCay Award in 2023 for his amazing contributions to animation.

Personal Life

Pete Docter is married to Amanda Docter, and they have two children, Nicholas and Elie. His daughter, Elie, even had a small voice part in Up. She was also the inspiration for the character of Riley in the movie Inside Out!

Pete is a big fan of anime, especially the movies made by Hayao Miyazaki. He likes how Miyazaki's animation shows "beautifully observed little moments of truth." He also enjoys movies from other animation studios like DreamWorks.

Pete Docter is a Christian. He has said that his faith influences his work, but he doesn't want to make movies that preach to people. He believes that movies should let people see themselves on screen, not be taught a lesson.

Filmography

Films

Shorts and series

Awards and Nominations

Academy Awards

Annie Awards

Other awards

Collaborators (Actors)

Pete Docter often works with the same actors and crew members in his films. Here are some of the actors who have appeared in multiple movies he directed:

	Monsters, Inc.	Up	Inside Out	Soul
Mary Gibbs	N		N
Bob Peterson	N	N
John Ratzenberger	N	N	N
Frank Oz	N		N
Jeff Pidgeon	N	N
Himself	N	N	N
Danny Mann	N	N
Mickie McGowan	N	N
Josh Cooley		N	N
John Cygan		N	N
Ronnie del Carmen			N	N

See also

In Spanish: Pete Docter para niños

• Directors with two films rated "A+" by CinemaScore
• List of Pixar films
• List of Pixar staff